This invention relates to a method of stuffing compressible products into flexible covers and apparatus therefor.
The insertion of a compressible product, such as a cushion or a soft filler for toys and dolls, into a flexible cover within which it is to be expanded so as to be conformed or shaped by the cover with a snug close fit has been a problem which has eluded satisfactory solution for many years. Thus the usual procedure of applying a cover to a cushion or to a soft compressible toy or doll body has been to rely upon the manual dexterity of the operator. However, regardless of the degree of dexterity which an operator can achieve, the operation is time consuming and costly. Also, in the case of large cushions, such as those used in recreational vehicles which commonly have dimensions in the order of a length of six feet, a width of at least twelve inches and a thickness of six inches, considerable strength must be exerted to manually apply the cover, even though the cover is of the type which has an opening at a side and/or end thereof which are closed by slide fasteners when the cover is applied in place around the cushion filler.
In cases where the cushion or other compressible filling is an open cell foam, such as polyurethane foam, a part of the problem or difficulty of applying a cover stems from the surface characteristics of the foam which tend to cling to or provide frictional resistance to application of the cover thereto. In other cushions using fillers such as feathers, down and kapok confined within an inner enclosure and to be inserted in an outer or finished enclosure, a similar problem of surface friction occurs during application of the outer cover.
Some efforts to deal with the problem have been made previously. An example is an apparatus for mechanically squeezing the compressible filler by means of rollers to assist in applying a cover, but this has been found to have certain limitations which have prevented its general adoption and acceptance in industry.